Category Archives: News

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has today revealed new $20, $50 and $100 banknotes. The notes complete the seventh series of banknotes called Brighter Money, joining the $5 and $10 notes which began circulating in October last year. The new banknotes were presented at Government House by the Governor-General, Lt Gen the Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae,…

Since the 1 April 2016 there have been several reports published by local online news agencies that a new 50,000 West African franc banknote will be issued into circulation from the 30 April. Included in the reports is an image depicting how the note will look. However, a statement has been issued by the BCEAO (the Banque Centrale des Etats de…

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has unveiled the new 50 franc banknote, the first of the banknotes from the long awaited ninth series. The design focuses on the element of wind. The note, which is 70mm by 137mm, is made using Landqart’s Durasafe® substrate composed of a central transparent polymer layer between two cotton paper layers…

The State Bank of Vietnam held a press conference on the 4 April 2016 to announce that a souvenir (commemorative) 100 dong banknote will become available during May this year, to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Banking Sector. The new note uses a substrate developed by paper producer Arjowiggins Security called DIAMONE® COMPOSITE which uses…

Poland’s Central Bank, the Naradowy Bank Polski, will issue a new collector 20 zloty banknote on the 12th April 2016 to commemorate the 1050th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland. The note, which was designed by Kristin Michalczuk and printed by the Polish Security Printing Works (PWPW S.A.), contains several modern security features, including De La Rue 3D lens technology based security…

A press release from the Colombian Central Bank, the Banco De La República, has confirmed that a new 100,000 peso banknote was introduced on the 31 March 2016. The note is the first of a new series of banknotes issued by the Central Bank, and is an additional denomination to the previous banknote series which consisted…

The new 12 sided £1 coin has officially gone into production a year before it is due to be issued into circulation, with the UK’s Royal Mint producing the coins at a rate of 4,000 coins per minute and the aim of producing 1.4 billion of the new coins. The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne,…

How vending machines work is a mystery to many people. Just how does it know which coins you are using, or which coins should be rejected? Vending machines, found in offices, hospitals, shopping malls, road service stations, airports, railway stations… just about anywhere, are a sought after convenience when it comes to snacking. But when they…

Ukraine’s Central Bank, the National Bank of Ukraine, has manufactured its first batch of banknote paper using linen fibres. A press release issued by the Bank on 23 March 2016 details how Ukrainian banknote paper manufacturers have been investigating the possibility of manufacturing banknote paper by mixing traditional cotton fibres with other plant fibres, such…

Google has announced that Android Pay will be available in the UK “in the next few months”. Currently, it is only available in the US since its launch last September. A Google spokesperson said it was “likely” that the UK would be either the second or third country of operation, with Australia being identified as another country…

SMI is one of the best known independent technical and marketing consultancies serving the banknote and high security document market. In a sector which by its nature is strictly confidential and relies on experience and trust, SMI has built a strong reputation for insight, expertise and integrity.

Philippe Barreau, Managing DirectorSICPA SA

SMI’s unique knowledge of the banknote industry is unrivalled. They are the consultancy of choice within this sector.

Arjo Wiggins, Managing Director BanknotesThibaut d'Argentré

Secura Monde’s knowledge and grasp of the currency industry – the suppliers, issuers, technologies - and the issues and challenges that it faces are second to none.

Astrid Mitchell, EditorReconnaissance International

I can recommend the professional skill of the Secura Monde team and their global network. They are disciplined, organized, analytical, accurate and timely executing agreed tasks, they provide both comprehensive, detailed and meaningful reports and recommendations. Secura Monde also has good technical knowledge in security production and application, and production technologies from start to finish, which is very valuable.

Matthias Müller, Director Business Unit Security FeaturesHueck Folien

For technical and strategic consultation in the field of banknote and high security printing SMI is recognised as the industry leader. The company's understanding of the global market and its relevant technologies is first class and, in a highly competitive sector, SMI can be relied upon to provide expert and reliable independent advice.

Crane Currency

The recent business history of Fabriano in Security papers and features started in 2002 with a key report made by SMI. In fact, Fabriano paper mill was basically supplying banknote paper just to domestic market. With the investment made at that time, enabling their production to increase by 3 times, they need a clear overview on the international market, which was given by SMI, as well as some important advices as to security features alliances, which led Fabriano to take over a leading security thread and holographic foil manufacturer such as Mantegazza, renamed as Fabriano Securities in 2004.